Eating Disorder

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For a while now I have noticed that I am constantly losing weight, while at first I didn't know why. Things stick out ot me when I eat what ever I want. Like one day I would eat a toffe almond bar, a big sugar cookie, and a big cinnamon roll at one time. Yet I find that week I lost weight.

I really do eat what ever I want, but recently I have noticed that I don't want much. At the time I don't think of it much, but when I think about it for weeks now or maybe a few months, I haven't had more than one meal a day. I mostly have that meal at my boyfriend's place, but with the semester's end so close I don't want to bother him so I am at home more. So sometimes I don't really have a meal. At work I have a soup or a cookie. At home I have a few handfuls of sunflower seeds.

I guess last night I really thought that I might start getting a problem. When I had a headache all night to help me think about it. I want to eat more but I either forget or just don't want much or what is there. My parents have stopped cooking food for me. The stove is out of propane so I can't eat what I want.

I just don't know what to do. I am sick of talking to my counselor. Nothing is relavent, she always tells me things I already know. And it is just another person so show a face to. I joke about it with my boyfriend, but I don't want to worry him now that I am starting to worry. I don't have any other friends to talk to about things. And my parents well, to many misunderstandings between us.

I am suspecting medication since I read that some antidepressants cause anorexia or at least symptoms. So far I have the sore and popping joints, headaches, fatigue, occassional abdominal pains, feeling cold, and poor circulation.

Bleh. I don't want to talk to someone but I know I need to. I just don't want to be confronted as if I am doing this on purpose. I really need to move.

Sounds like it might be iron or calcium deficiency, though I'm no doctor. Honestly, I eat whatever I'm craving, when I'm craving it, and never seem to have to much problem, so long as I'm not too broke to afford what I want. Lately it's been pickles.

Try eating some red meat if thats something you would normally eat. The more rare the better, it actually seems to have much more iron when its nearly bloody. (Mum had a bleeding meat craving while pregnant with my little bro... doc said so long as the outside was cooked fully and the inside was quite warm it should be safe) Also, try maybe getting a glass of milk. Most uni's have some sort of cafe, so try getting these things there.

And I know sometimes I loose weight when I'm stressed, so it could be that.

Do you do any exercise?

If you don't, and don't have any food-allergy-addictions or comfort-food eating tendencies then it may be that you eat little for the natural reason that you have very little appetite because you don't do any exercise. One meal a day isn't automatically a problem.

What you describe about circulation and joints and lethargy/fatigue, and feeling cold, might be the results of no exercise. 30 minutes 5 times a week of raised heart rate etc, like a brisk walk etc, is often enough to make the difference.

If you do exercise, then ignore all that.

Loss of appetite can be a symptom of Vitamin B deficiency, or anaemia. For vitamin Bs try yeast extract on toast/rice cakes, or nuts and beans or meat, also green veg. Headaches can be the result of vit B deficiency, as can insomnia/poor sleep. Big swings in blood sugar can also cause headaches.

Munching sunflower seeds on a regular basis is good. The Russian Army apparently survived on almost nothing but sometimes on their long marches across the icy wastes in the past. They're very good for you.

But the cinnamon rolls and sweets etc may be contributing to a vitamin B deficiency because refined sugar uses up Vit Bs. Those don't sound so good. Eat bananas and nuts, dried fruit, or whole grain cereal bars rather than high-sugar stuff.

If you are really losing lots of weight for a while now then it might be a good idea to go to a doctor. But if it's not too alarming yet, try cutting out the sugary stuff and eating some other kind of snack, a piece of cheese, or nuts etc like I said, or cereal bars, or fresh fruit.

Or, like you say, medication could be the problem.

What meds are you on? Maybe someone else here on wp might be on the same and and have had similar experience. Try a thread titled by the med name to ask, maybe.

I think an "eating disorder" has to start with a bit more conscious attention to cutting down/controlling food intake than you have described. Not just an almost imperceptible if always declining appetite. I think. So it's more likely to be some organic thing like Vit B deficiency, pernicious anaemia ( not enough meat/fish/eggs, loss of appetite etc), or meds.

PS: Vitamin B deficiency can also cause anxiety, stress, and depression, aswell as loss of appetite , fatigue, etc. So I would really try cutting out the refined sugar stuff, especially as sugar is addictive and has the effect of putting you more and more off other food.

Good luck.

I would recommend getting some blood work done before you assume this is AS or psychological. I had similiar symptoms for years and was finally tested for thyroid...turned out I had low thyroid. It's a simple blood test and easy to treat with some inexpenssive medications.

I have had appitite issues in the past that were mostly do to getting to engaged in my interests(forgetting to eat) and drinking to much caffiene, which is an appitite supressant. I have been on Effexor and Zoloft and both made me gain weight but it has the opposite effect on some people. Prozac seems to make people lose their appitite more then some others.

Thanks for you advice guys. I might start taking some vitamin B tablets or just start eating what is high in vitamin B. I honest don't like taking pills, I don't even like taking advil even though I have had a headache for three days now.

Upon reading up on vitamin B deficiency, I will try to eat some more potatoes and try to eat some lentils. I like lentils so I will try to find a recipe to use them so I will eat them more often. I know how to make good mashed potatoes. I've been wanting a good omlette but have neither the eggs or time.

I don't know, I am reading up on alot of the stuff that are rich with vitamins, things that the body needs to have, and I do get this stuff, I guess just not enough. Pretty much the only meat I eat is fish (I consider fish meat) and I migh occasionally eat some chicken, and some eggs. I prefer fresh vegatables, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, onions, peas, celery, red and green peppers. When I do try to eat breakfast it is either an apple or an orange. I also enjoy eating pasta with a nice organic tomatoe sauce, and I make sure that the pasta is whole wheat with flax seed.

But I guess I realize that if I don't have any of that stuff I just don't eat. I wanted down stairs and look in the refrigerator if I don't see any of those foods or I am unable to eat it in a certain prepared way I will just think, "oh well." and find something else to do.

I currently do not exercise. I used to run all the time, but my parents blocked the treadmill with their junk. At one point I was running ten miles a day and felt absolutely awesome. But at that point my parents felt that it was unhealthy and that me wanting to eat more fresh vegatables and fruits and finding protein subsitutes such as nuts and seeds instead of meat, was also very unhealthly.

I do realize that I have been eating more sugar than usual, and craving it a bit more. I don't eat it inless I am at work because there is nothing fresh there and only all sugar stuff. And I eat something to do something in the break room. But without sugar, my treats are sunflower seeds. So i might just bring a bag to work and eat off of that instead of all the sugary stuffs.

Another thing I forgot to mention, I know that my stomach has shrunken a bit, and also if I force eat to a certain point, sometimes maybe what is considered a normal sized meal, I have to stop because I get these muscle twinges and it is like a signal that my body is like "No way. To much." I might not feel full, but my body just feels fed up with what I am eating or something, but that only happens with foods I know I shouldn't be eating but eat because I haven't eaten in a while or I am out in public and don't want to seem weird not eating certain thigns.

Yeah. I rammble.

At work....I used to bring little bag of those baby carrots for my breaks...not sure if they make organic version of these but they give you a bit of sweet taste and lots of fiber. I also love Sunchips...not the healthiest but healthier then most things offered in vending machines(and cheaper to bring your own stuff)...also they claim they make them using solar energy.

When I lived alone...I hated cooking just for myself,really food was not very interesting to me, just something I HAD to do and I only eat while I'm reading or watching TV...it's to boring or to intense? to just sit at a table and eat....SO I would just have some bagels, cheese slices, tomatos to slice and shake on Italian spices to put on top and make my own little minni pizzaz. I ate a lot of Ramon noodles because I was pretty poor....but I would add two eggs(just crack them open and drop them in the boiling water after the noodles get soft and get a kind of poached egg...then add some steamed broccili to it...cheap,fast,easy.

The crock-pot is another thing I like to use to make my own soups and stuff...just through i a buunch of stuff you like into some vegetable stock and let it cook all day, add rice,noodles, or beans to the veggies and then you can forget about it...I would store it in tupperware and put extra in freezer so I always had something when I was not in the mood to cook. I used to have a lot of problems eating most "Pre-made" foods from a can because I could taste the metal....frozen veggies are better then cans if you can't get fresh or need something quick.

Wishing you luck.